1. Earth’s Climate Systems

2. What is the difference between weather and climate? Weather is the condition of the atmosphere at any given place. Climate is the consistent, long-term behavior of weather over time.

3. Climate Factors HStatistical Analysis of 30 years of data Insolation Temperature Pressure Air Masses Precipitation H L

4. 5 Climate Regions 1.Tropical 2.Dry 3.Mid latitude 4.High Latitude 5.Highlands

5. Tropical Climates A. Tropical Wet Avg temp 80 degrees F Daily rain 80 in/year Wildlife abundant Tropical rainforest veg Amazon Basin, S. Am, Asia Caribbean, Africa B.Tropical Dry Dry winters, wet summers High yearly temps Savannas Africa, central - S Am., Australia

6. Dry Climates A.Desert < 10 in. rain/yr Day/night temps vary 1/3 of world’s land Veg = scrub, cactus Dunes, rocky surfaces Where??? B.Steppes Dry, treeless 10 – 20 in. rain/year Where???

7. Mid latitude Climates A.Marine West Coast 30  - 60  N/S Western coastlines Cool summers, cool damp winters Veg = Coniferous, Deciduous, mixed forest B.Mediterranean Mild, rainy winters hot., sunny summers Veg = woody bushes, short trees, Where?

8. C.Humid Subtropical Short, mild winters Year round rain, high humidity b/c of oceans Veg = prairies, forests Where? D.Humid Continental Inland locations, further N, longer harsher winters Veg = Mixed forests – but evergreens out# in N

9. High Latitude A.Subarctic Bitter-cold winters Summers short/cool > temp vary variation permafrost Veg = needles evergreens B.Tundra Winter darkness No roots Veg = Low shrub, short grasses, mosses C.Ice Caps Snow, ice 2 miles thick!

10. Highland Natural vegetation varies with elevation High Mountain areas

11. The Köppen System

12. What is the Köppen System? Widely used system that classifies climate according to: –annual and monthly averages of temperature –annual and monthly averages of precipitation Devised by Walter Köppen (1846-1940); updated and modified by Köppen until his death. Continues to be modified by geographers today!

13. Köppen’s major climates: Tropical Climates (A) Dry Arid and Semiarid Climates (B) Mesothermal Climates (C) – mild winter Microthermal Climates (D) – severe winter Polar Climates (E) Highland (H) http://www.uwmc.uwc.edu/geography/100/koppen _web/koppen_map.htm

14. Climate subcategories Each category is further divided into sub- categories based on temperature and precipitation. For example, in a Dfa climate: D = microthermal climate f = feucht (German for “moist”) a = warmest avg. summer month above 22° C Dfa = humid-continental, hot-summer climate in the microthermal D category.

16. The Köppen System: Pros & Cons Pros: Uses temperature and precipitation which are easy to measure Temperature and precipitation directly affect humans. Corresponds with vegetation regions. Cons: Only uses averages which does not take into account subtle changes from place to place. Ignores wind, cloud cover, intensity of precipitation, and humidity.

17. Climographs Graphic means of giving info on mean monthly temperature and rainfall for a select location or station Usually two parts –Annual temperature curve (red) –Precipitation bars (blue)

18. Annual Climatology: Green Bay, WI (GRB) Elev: 687 ft Lat: 44 o 29'N Long: 88 o 08'W Figure 1: Average Temperatures and Precipitation 1971-2000. (NCDC Data)